DI Boxes

A DI box may not be the most exciting bit of gear to get your hands on, but they are relied upon heavily by venues and live engineers all over the world. Essentially, a DI box balances the audio signal from an instrument and attenuates it to a level that is safe and manageable for a PA system.

DI boxes also let you run long lengths of cable without losing audio fidelity, similar to how a guitar buffer pedal works. Decent DI Boxes will also feature polarity switching circuitry that can correct phase issues that sometimes occur.

DI Boxes are available in two main iterations - passive or active. A passive DI box is a simple, non-powered device that is suitable for instruments such as a bass guitar or even for DJ equipment.

Active DI boxes, however, require 48V phantom power in order to work. These are most commonly used for instruments such as acoustic guitar, or for any instrument that emits a low-level signal.

Andertons Music Co. stocks DI boxes from the likes of Radial Engineering, Palmer and Mackie, all of which are reputable brands known for producing high-quality gear.